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Friday, April 24, 2015

Do we look after rabbits well?

Are we giving bunnies what they really need?

Do we care for pet rabbits
appropriately? It was a question asked by UK researchers who set out to examine
the way companion rabbits in England are looked after – and they found some
major welfare issues.

Just to put this into
context, rabbits are the third most popular mammalian pet in the UK, behind
dogs and cats. There are an estimated 1.7 million pet rabbits, kept in 4 per
cent of UK households. I can’t locate
any official figures on rabbit ownership in Australia, but the keeping of pet
rabbits is illegal in some states (for example, Queensland). Unfortunately,
large numbers of rabbits experience stress on a daily basis thanks to their
housing, husbandry and handling.

Boris the bunny loves his hay. Every single day.

In Australia at least there
seems to be a widespread perception that rabbits are easy to look after, great
kid’s pets, not as much trouble as a dog or cat, requiring less time and so on.
In fact, this is not the case. Rabbits are complex creatures with similar needs
to dogs and cats – companionship, enrichment, exercise, stimulation, and
security. As prey animals they mask signs of stress or illness as their
survival depends on it.

Unlike dogs and cats,
rabbits are usually (but not always) kept in hutches, which gives them little
freedom to move, little control over their environment and not a lot of space
to express normal behaviours.

There are plenty of
guidelines for housing laboratory rabbits in scientific institutions, but when
it comes to companion rabbits we tend to assume that as they’re being kept as
pets they will be well looked after. But that doesn’t necessarily follow. For
example, laboratory guidelines detail the minimum hutch-size for rabbits. But
one study from the UK found that one fifth of rabbit hutches for companion
rabbits were smaller than the minimum size recommended in laboratories.

A diverse population of 1254
rabbit owners from three different geographical regions in England were
surveyed about the husbandry and care of their rabbits. Some people reported
that they kept rabbits very well, which is great. But there were a number of
issues identified in this study.

While most rabbits had
access to exercise areas outside of their hutch, this access was often
unpredictable or ill-timed for the rabbits.

Only 41.9% of people kept
rabbits with together. Single-housing of rabbits does mean they can’t express
social behaviour. One reason for single-housing in rabbits is, of course,
aggression. Indeed, in those who kept rabbits with conspecifics, around one
quarter fought occasionally, 22 per cent guarded resources like food and 27 per
cent outright avoided one another. The authors argue that “it is essential that
compatible pairings are selected and introduced appropriately, and
adequately-sized and structured living space is provided to allow rabbits to
avoid one another if they so choose,” (p11).

Concerningly, the majority
of rabbits (61 per cent) did not behave calmly when picked up by owners or
other adults (75 per cent). Moreover, 27 per cent of owners weren’t confident
holding their own rabbit. This lack of confidence may be something rabbits are
aware of, and may exacerbate the stress of handling.

The good news was that the
majority of owners fed hay daily, but 10 per cent of rabbit owners did not.

This study proves that there
is a need for evidence-based guidelines on basic rabbit husbandry to ensure
minimal stress. In addition, some education around the proper care and particularly
handling of rabbits could ease stress on the part of rabbits and owners alike.

Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases

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